This past week, the rover Curiosity stopped for a 6-10 day break so it could test its 7-foot arm. The arm is expected to dig into the Martian soil, scoop out samples, and move them to onboard instruments. It is also scheduled to put science instruments onto the surface for testing.

Published: September 7, 2012 -- 16:51 GMT (09:51 PDT)

Photo by: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

Caption by: Andy Smith

Curiosity's ChemCam captured these before-and-after images after it blasted this soil sample about 50 times with its onboard laser. Each shot delivers more than a million watts of power for about five one-billionths of a second. See Curiosity Mars rover blasts first rock with laser.

Published: September 7, 2012 -- 16:51 GMT (09:51 PDT)

Photo by: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

Caption by: Andy Smith

This view of Curiosity's trail shows one of the wheels that left an imprint within the tracks. It's used to help measure distances traveled on the planet.

What are the marks? Morse code for JPL, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which built the rover and manages its stay there.

Published: September 7, 2012 -- 16:51 GMT (09:51 PDT)

Photo by: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona

Caption by: Andy Smith

Here is a look at some of the instruments that Curiosity plans to use.

Published: September 7, 2012 -- 16:51 GMT (09:51 PDT)

Photo by: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Caption by: Andy Smith

In other space news the Dawn spacecraft has completed its year at the asteroid Vesta and is on its way to the dwarf planet Ceres where it will arrive in early 2015.

Published: September 7, 2012 -- 16:51 GMT (09:51 PDT)

Photo by: NASA

Caption by: Andy Smith

The Hubble Space Telescope captured two galaxies of a different color. The bluish spiral galxy on the top right is call NGC 4647 while the bigger Messier is in the middle. NGC 4647 is about the size of the Milky Way.

Published: September 7, 2012 -- 16:51 GMT (09:51 PDT)

Photo by: NASA/ESA

Caption by: Andy Smith

The Cassini spacecraft continues its journey around Saturn. It was launched in 1997 and reached the ringed planet for a scheduled 4-month mission but it's still alive and kicking today. Here are some of its best images over the past few months.

In this amazing image are the moons of Saturn most likely to contain life. Enceladus contains ice-water geysers indicate that there might be subsurface water which could contain organisms. In the background is Titan, the only moon in the solar system with an atmosphere.

Published: September 7, 2012 -- 16:51 GMT (09:51 PDT)

Photo by: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Caption by: Andy Smith

Another icy moon, Tethys, peeps out from behind Titan.

Published: September 7, 2012 -- 16:51 GMT (09:51 PDT)

Photo by: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Caption by: Andy Smith

The shadow of Saturn's rings resembles a sad smiley face. The moon Thethys is above the rings while the northen section shows scars from a recent massive storm.

Published: September 7, 2012 -- 16:51 GMT (09:51 PDT)

Caption by: Andy Smith

Published: September 7, 2012 -- 16:51 GMT (09:51 PDT)

Caption by: Andy Smith

Here's a closeup of Saturn's moon Rhea from only 26,000 miles.

Published: September 7, 2012 -- 16:51 GMT (09:51 PDT)

Photo by: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI

Caption by: Andy Smith

A look at Titan shows how small it is as compared to the giant planet.